Every Parent Knows

Every parent knows…

Sometimes it’s really difficult to get your baby to sleep, but you need a moment to yourself to have a meal or take a shower! Babies can be relentless. They are wonderful and fulfilling, but infuriating sometimes. Mothers know the saying sleep when your baby sleeps, and it’s so true. It’s also a reminder that you need to work within your baby’s timelines.

I used the Snuzzza myself with two kids in their early days. First with my son, then with his sister 3 years later. I used it a few times a week and sometimes more…

The practical side: how to use it

You lay the little one down on their back as if on a matt in the centre of the Snuzzza. Then you lift the sides by the handles so that your baby is held with a slightly curved back in their baby hammock*. The sides form a soft fabric nest that shields the baby’s vision from surrounding stimulation but leaving an opening above them so that they get plenty of fresh air and can see you at all times (and more importantly, you can see them).

The soft, breathable padded fabric dulls some of the surrounding noises too, and if you simply walk while holding it by the straps, the gentle motion puts them to sleep. Neither of my kids lasted longer than 5 minutes after going into it.

It’s a hand-held baby hammock, so you’re always with your child when you’re using it (don’t hang them up in a cupboard). The beauty of it is that you can use it anywhere. When my daughter was 4 months old we took her on her first flight. I popped her in carefully while in my seat then walked with it up and down the aisles a few times. She was out in a few minutes and it sparked a conversation with someone who had never seen anything like it…

Have dinner in peace again

It was a real game-changer when my wife and I wanted to have a meal together, like normal people, sitting at a table. Not: one of us holding the baby while the other eats as fast as is humanly possible, then swop…

I would pop our babies in and then sit down, slip a beam** though the handles and onto the top of your thighs so that you can have the baby suspended between your legs while you eat. With two hands. At home, in a restaurant or at friends or family. An anywhere hammock. Add a few calf raises to the mix and they get that gentle motion that puts a baby right to sleep.

Put your baby down without waking

Last, but not least is the ease with which you can put your baby down to sleep in its crib or cot with the Snuzzza. There’s something about letting your baby go that seems to wake them. It’ll drive you mad. You’ll walk them around in a pram, strapped to your body, or even drive them around a block in the car (or 10) and then as you get them to the crib and release… they wake up. Not with a Snuzzza. You’re not holding them directly, so when you finally lower them gently into their soft crib the detachment doesn’t happen in the same way.

I did find that gently a motion of softly touch them down, then slightly up, then down more and repeat a few times was perfect (makes you feel a little like Indiana Jones each time too which is a win). Your baby is now on their back in their crib. All that’s left is to flatten the Snuzzza and fasten the sides down so the baby can’t pull them onto its face while sleeping (because suffocation is less than ideal).

Not just for a few months, you’ll get years of use from this design

The adjustable straps of the Snuzzza allow you to use it for so many uses too and well beyond the infant years. It’s so soft and cuddly that you’ll be using them as blankets or to bundle toys for years. Warning: your children may not want to part with them when they grow up. Aside from this, there’s always the option of gifting yours to a loved one you know after your little one starts to wriggle too much to stay in it. They’re made to last, so these life-savers will see a few babies through their early days.

And a few words of wisdom…

Some advice: don’t use it for every sleep. You don’t want to make your baby dependant on any one thing. They should be able to sleep on their own. Use it when you need it. When you need that break. When you need to feel like a human adult, and not just a milk factory. When you need an hour with friends, or to make that important call that can’t wait. It gives you back a little control at a time when you feel like the rug has been pulled from under you.

*The C-curve

The slight curve is known as the C shape and a common comfort to babies because when they’re really new they’re busy transitioning from this (like they were when they were in the womb) to a flat back. It’s a naturally comfortable position for them. But again, don’t leave them like this for every sleep. It’s important they have time with their back straight too to help transition.

** The Beam

When I originally used the hammock seated, I used a piece of wood about 60cm long and 3cm wide which I placed across my thighs. This slipped under the handles and suspends the hammock just above the feet - perfect for under the table with your baby right there with you. Since then I’ve modified the design to make it more portable. We now have a cotton webbing based beam, which uses a long piece of velcro to hold your Snuzzza. We’ve tested this holding 20kg weights, so we know it works. Keep an eye on your little one as always while using the Snuzzza with the beam – and enjoy eating a meal with two hands again.